Yakusoku
by Mazoku-sempai
Summary: "I'll always cheer you up when you're sad; be your punching bag when you're angry; comfort you when you're scared... I'll protect you Ichigo! I won't let anything or anyone hurt you ever again!" GrimmIchi, gender bender, yaoi, yuri.
1. You're a What?

~As always, I only own the plot. I don't own the series or characters so don't sue me.

**Chapter One - You're a What?**

* * *

Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, officially the most sought after and most popular male at Karakura high, slowly walked down the cherry blossom coated street next to his boyfriend. Even though everyone knew of his sexual preference, that didn't stop the girls in the slightest bit from professing their love. He wasn't quite sure what it was about women that made him feel... repulsed and uneasy, but he figured it didn't matter. He'd known since he was a small boy in elementary school that girls just weren't his cup of tea.

"Grimmjow!" his boyfriend, Szayel shouted attempting to get his attention for the past few minutes. Blue eyes turned to look into golden yellow a bit sheepishly as they continued to walk down the street. He hadn't meant to ignore the teen. Sighing, the pink haired boy repeated himself. "I said you should probably button up your shirt unless you want to get yelled at by Kuchiki-san again."

"Tch," he scoffed. "I still don't even know how she became student body president."

"That's because the teacher's think she's a better role model than you are," Szayel chuckled lightly. "Be thankful they liked you enough to allow you to be class rep."

Grimmjow glared lightly, but it just made the teen's smile deepen. It wasn't long before the two reached the school gates, Szayel running off toward the chemistry lab as he had an experiment that needed tending to. Adjusting the school bag to a more comfortable position over his shoulder, the blunette headed for classroom 3-B. He took one last deep breath of the spring air before entering the stuffy school building. As he stood in front of his shoe locker, he spotted a bright blur of orange in his peripheral. Turning quickly, his gaze fell on a few girls standing around chatting. Nothing seemed to explain the orange blur he saw. Turning his attention back to the process of changing shoes, his thoughts drifted to his first crush.

* * *

_That bright orange hair. There was just something about it that made Grimmjow want to run his small hands through it. The tangerine locks appeared spiky and disheveled, but it also seemed liked they would feel incredibly soft under his fingers. Of course, being a young boy, rather than run his fingers through the other boy's hair softly and tenderly, he grabbed a fistful and yanked roughly._

_The orangette cried out at the sudden painful tug on his hair. "Hey! Cut it out!" he hollered while trying to loosen the tight hold on his hair._

_"Oh wow," the blunette mumbled. "It really is soft."_

_The next thing Grimmjow knew, a fist had been firmly planted against his jaw. He instinctively released the hair as he tumbled backward to land on his backside. Blue eyes gazed into glassy chocolate brown orbs, tears threatening to fall. Grimmjow rubbed his jaw to help relieve the pain a bit. He felt awful. He didn't mean to hurt the other kid; he just wanted to know what his hair felt like. The young boy pulled himself to his feet and bowed his head slightly._

_"I'm sorry," he said suddenly. "I didn't mean to hurt you. You can pull my hair if you want."_

_The other boy tentatively reached a hand out before grabbing a chunk of the bright sky blue hair and tugging. Not too roughly though. The boy gasped a bit as he too realized the blue hair, although chaotic, was incredibly soft as well. When the boy let go, Grimmjow raised his head to stare into his eyes once more. Suddenly, a large grin spread across the blunette's face as he pointed a thumb to his chest._

_"My name's Grimmjow. What's yours?"_

_The other boy seemed to back away a bit and gazed at the ground while tucking his hands behind his back. "Kurosaki," he mumbled softly, Grimmjow barely heard it. "Kurosaki Ichigo." Ah, so he was a shy kid. That's okay. He'd fix that in due time._

_"Hey, wanna come over to my house Ichigo?"_

* * *

They had been seven years old when they met. It wasn't until a year later that Grimmjow realized that he liked the boy more than a friend. Ichigo's mother used to laugh and smile every time he'd profess his love to the boy and vow to marry him when they were older. Ichigo would always blush and call him an idiot. Grimmjow smiled fondly at those memories as he headed to his classroom, shoes successfully changed. As he entered the noisy room, he was quickly greeted by his best friend and partner in crime, Nnoitra. The freakishly tall raven haired teen had entered his life in junior high. He was the only one that didn't seem to be bothered by Grimmjow's sexual preference.

"We're getting a transfer student today," Nnoitra smirked as he followed Grimmjow to his seat.

"Oh really?" The blunette wasn't the least bit interested. However, being class rep meant he would have to give the poor sap a tour of the school. He really hadn't doing those.

"From what I've heard-"

He was cut off by a busty auburn haired girl hurrying over to the pair. "Jaegerjaques-san," the girl fidgeted nervously.

Grimmjow pulled a few books out of his bag, not once looking up at the girl. "What is it Inoue?"

"I was wondering if you'd be alright doing the cleaning by yourself today. My boss asked me if I could work after school today and-"

"Don't worry about it," the blunette replied quickly. He'd much rather take twice as long to clean after school than be stuck cleaning with the 'Goddess of Karakura High'. At least, that's what all the boy's referred to her as anyway. "Just bring me some curry bread tomorrow as payment."

Orihime smiled brightly and nodded before wondering back over to her friends. Nnoitra opened his mouth to speak again, but stopped as he saw Grimmjow's gaze shift to look out the window right beside his desk. He obviously wasn't in the mood to talk anymore. His friend had probably got into another argument with his drunken father that morning before school. It happened more often than not. Nnoitra sighed as he slunk back to his desk on the other side of the room.

It wasn't long before the bell rang signaling the start of homeroom. A woman with long vibrant purple hair entered the room, a large yawn spreading across her face and she slapped her notebook on the pedestal at the front of the room.

"Let's all be nice to sensei and shut it," the golden eyed woman snapped.

"Aw, hung over again sensei?" Nnoitra teased and was quickly rewarded with an eraser to the face.

The room erupted into quiet chuckles and snickers as the tall senior wiped the chalk dust from his face. Yoruichi glared darkly at the students causing them to fall silent. She quickly took attendance before turning around to write a name on the blackboard behind her. Setting the chalk down, she slapped her hands a couple times to rid them of the chalk dust.

"You can come in now dear!"

Grimmjow had been staring contently out the window until he heard the door slide open and a blur of orange caught his full attention. Standing at the front of the classroom was a very curvaceous female student. Grimmjow started his inspection at her legs. Very long and slender. She'd be great for the track team. Moving up he paused only for a second on her breasts. C cups at least. His gaze caught on her long vibrant orange hair that reached down to touch the hem of her skirt. Eyes widened as they connected with beautiful large amber irises.

It couldn't be! But her hair and those eyes... He'd never forget them.

"Hello," she bowed slightly as she spoke, "My name is-"

"Ichigo?" the blunette cried out in surprise as he jumped to his feet causing his chair to collide loudly with the floor.

The girl blinked a few times before a smile consumed her slender face. "Grimmjow!"

Yoruichi smirked at the outburst. "Ah so you two know each other?"

"Mmm," the orangette nodded as she looked away, seemingly out of embarrassment. "We used to go to school together when we were kids."

"I don't understand!" Grimmjow shouted. Before he could continue, a piece of chalk collided with his forehead.

"Shut up and sit down!" Yoruichi ordered. "Can't you see you're making her uncomfortable?" Grumbling, Grimmjow grabbed his chair to right it before he flopped onto the hard wood. He rested his chin on the palm of his hand as he glared at the purple haired demon teacher. Golden eyes turned to look at the new student softly. "Now, if you would continue with your introduction."

"My name is Kurosaki Ichigo," she started a bit uneasily, but grew in confidence with each word. "I used to live here in Karakura until my mother passed. My family moved to Tokyo and I attended an all-girls school. We recently moved back here after my father was offered a job at the hospital."

A feline grin creeped onto the teacher's face. "Oh," she cooed. "So this is your first time in a co-ed school since you were a child." Ichigo nodded. Yoruichi turned to examine the room for any empty seats. "You can sit next to Inoue."

Ichigo quickly obliged and hurried over to the busty auburn girl, the two seemingly hitting off a friendship rather quickly and easily. Grimmjow scoffed. Women with similar breast sizes probably bonded well together. That aside, the blunette was incredibly confused. The Ichigo he knew was a boy. A cute adorable happy little momma's boy. How could that cute pudgy cheeked boy turn into a well-endowed vixen? Blue eyes shifted to stare out the window once more. He would just have to wait until he could get her alone to figure it out.

* * *

The bell rang indicating it was time for lunch break. Ichigo barely grabbed her bento, made with love by her younger sister Yuzu, before she found herself being roughly dragged out of the room by Orihime. A few moments later, the two stopped in front of a large tree with a few other girls sitting under its shade. At least Ichigo wouldn't have to worry about making friends.

"This is Ichigo-chan," Orihime chirped as poked the orangette.

The two sat in the small semi-circle of females, the girls going around introducing themselves. The raven haired girl with white hair clips and gray eyes was Byakuya, the student body president. She gave this aura of rich noble girl, which turned out to be true. Byakuya's family was rather wealthy as her mother was a well-known fashion designer. The raven haired girl next to Byakuya was Uryuu. She was a master seamstress as well as a genius. Apparently Uryuu had the highest marks out of the entire school and wasn't about to let that change. On the other side of Byakuya sat a fairly flat-chested, scowling red head. Her name was Renji and she didn't seem to like Ichigo at first, if only because of her larger bust size. Renji was captain of the track team and apparently Byakuya's girlfriend.

"So Ichigo," Renji started as she stuffed one of her sandwiches in her mouth. "Have you thought about joining any clubs?"

"Well, I used to run for the track team at my old school," she replied before stuffing a mouthful of rice in her mouth.

"Oh ho?" the red head moaned as she took another bite of her food. "How bout after school you show me what ya got?"

"Sure. I'm not doing anything after school." Just as she was taking a bite of her rolled egg, a shadow loomed over her. All eyes darted above her, light blushes appearing on Orihime's and Uryuu's faces. Swallowing the lump in her throat, amber eyes turned to look behind her only to see a sea of blue. "Grimmjow?" she questioned a bit perturbed.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" His deep voice penetrated deep into her soul as the faintest of blushes rose on her cheeks.

"Uh, sure." Standing, she looked to the girls for support before following the tall, ripped blunette.

Ichigo had been completely surprised to see the boy on her first day of school. Upon seeing his bright blue hair, memories of the few years they spent together surfaced instantly. She had been so relieved to see a familiar face amongst the crowd of strangers in her childhood town. She hoped that they could still be friends after all this time. Ichigo wondered briefly what he'd been up to for the past eight years as they finally came to a stop across the school yard by the large fountain.

"What happened?" Grimmjow questioned a bit exasperated.

Amber eyes blinked curiously at him. "What do you mean?"

"Back in Elementary school you were definitely a boy! You even used 'boku'!"

Really, that's what this was all about? Ichigo rubbed the back of her neck a bit nervously. "Yeah, I was kind of a tom-boy growing up."

"I don't believe it!" Grimmjow growled as he leaned in to get a closer look at her face. "This has to be a joke or something!" There was no way all this time his first crush was a girl. It was just impossible. "I bet these are fake!"

His hands flew up to grab Ichigo's breasts and give them a firm squeeze. Both their faces turned beet red as Grimmjow confirmed that they were indeed real. Before he could step back and apologize, a strong fist collided with his jaw knocking him roughly to the ground. Grimmjow sat up and rubbed his jaw furiously in an attempt to ebb the pain. Blue eyes glared at the orangette who was still flushed a deep red from the act, her arms wrapped around her chest protectively.

"You pervert!" she shouted. "If you touch me again, I will do more than just knock you on your ass!"

Huffing, Ichigo stormed off back to the groups of girls to finish her lunch. Grimmjow stood and watched her storm off silently. He couldn't deny reality anymore. Not only was Ichigo indeed a woman, but it was the same Ichigo he met when he was a child. That right hook was proof of that. His first crush had actually been on a girl and not a boy as he first thought. Did this mean that he wasn't really gay? Was he just seeking out relationships that reminded him of Ichigo to replace her while she was gone? Shoving his hands into his pockets, he stomped off. No, of course not. Nothing had changed, he still liked men.

Ichigo was a girl and Grimmjow didn't like girls. He had nothing to worry about. It's not like he'd suddenly fall for her just because he crushed on her when they were kids.

* * *

Ichigo began to shovel food quickly into her mouth as the group of girls stared on in shock having seen the whole ordeal near the fountain. As soon as her bento was empty, she set to wrapping the empty container back in the white handkerchief, grumbling quietly to herself the whole time. Orihime was the first to gain the courage to speak about the incident.

"Are you alright Ichigo-chan?" she questioned.

"Just peachy," the orangette lightly snapped.

Silence fell over the group as everyone finished their lunches. Renji was the next one who dared to speak. "So why did he grab your boobs?"

Ichigo growled as her cheeks turned a faint pink. "He was checking to see if they were real."

"Why would he do that?" Uryuu chimed in.

"It's a long story."

Byakuya checked the watch on her wrist before stating, "We've got time."

Sighing, Ichigo relented and did her best to explain the misunderstanding. "My father always wanted a son, but after my younger sisters were born, he found out my mother couldn't have any more children. I'm not sure why, but I decided to take it upon myself to give him the son he could never have. I started dressing and acting like a boy."

"Acting?" Orihime's big gray eyes blinked in confusion.

"I would pick fights and refer to myself using 'boku'." The girl 'oh'ed and allowed Ichigo to continue with her story. "I met Grimmjow shortly after that and we became friends." She paused momentarily to smile at the fond memories. "After my mother died, my father thought it would be best if I attended an all-girls school so that I could become the woman she always dreamed I would be."

"That still doesn't explain why he groped ya," Renji blurted out while scratching the back of her head.

"You idiot!" Uryuu snapped as she slapped the red head. "Grimmjow obviously grew up thinking that Ichigo was male! He was probably shocked and in denial."

"Oi!" the track captain growled as she rubbed her head where the raven haired girl had struck. "Why would he be in denial about it?"

All eyes slowly turned to Ichigo causing her amber eyes to widen slightly before she looked away from the piercing stares. "He had a crush on me back then. He uh... He used to tell me he was going to marry me when we were older."

A hush fell over the group for a moment before Renji exploded with laughter. "Are you kidding me?"

Ichigo fixed the red head with a heated glare. "What's so funny about that?"

"Oh just only the fact that the school's most popular gay had a crush on a girl." Her laughter continued until she received a firm elbow to her ribs from her girlfriend. Russet eyes gazed into gray before shifting back to a rather surprised Ichigo.

"He's... gay?" she questioned slowly.

"As gay as a circular rainbow," Uryuu answered. "I heard he's been rejecting girls since junior high."

Their conversation was brought to a halt as the bell rang. Ichigo barely had the time to gather her bento as Orihime grabbed her wrist and happily drug her back to the classroom. Shortly after class started, Ichigo turned to look slightly behind her, catching Grimmjow's gaze. His eyes widened as a light blush dusted his cheeks. The blunette quickly averted her intense accusing glare to stare out the window.

"Kurosaki-san," the soft-spoken teacher called. "Would you please read where we left off?" The orangette jumped to her feet as she held the history book open, trying to figure out where they could possibly be. "Is there a problem?"

Ichigo flushed a bit from embarrassment. "I er... Uh..."

"I hope you'll pay attention from now on."

"Yes Ukitake-sensei." Bowing her head in shame, she slowly slumped back into her seat, ignoring the chuckles from her classmates.

* * *

Grimmjow opened the classroom windows as he began to beat the chalk dust out of the erasers. Sighing, his eyes lazily danced over the scenery outside. He stopped and blinked curiously as he spotted a head of bright orange over by the track field. He watched intently as she seemed to tighten her pony tail before she crouched down. As much as he hated to admit it, she still looked good in a t-shirt and shorts. Grimmjow didn't even realize he had stopped cleaning the erasers as her backside was thrust into the air for a moment before she took off running, her hair flailing out behind her.

As he had first assumed earlier that day, she was indeed fit for track. She cleared one lap around the track fairly quickly. As she passed the start line, he saw the red headed chick that was the captain as well as their homeroom teacher, Yoruichi. Why was she out there? That's right; she was the track and field coach. Grimmjow continued to watch Ichigo run, unaware of the figure sneaking up behind him. Suddenly, there was a wet sensation against the back of his neck. Grimmjow started, dropping one of the erasers in the process.

"Never thought I'd be able to sneak up on you," a familiar voice chuckled.

Grimmjow grumbled as he rubbed the wet spot on his neck. "You made me drop it Szayel. I have half a mind to make you run down there and get it."

The pink haired teen merely ignored him and moved to look out the window to see what had caught his boyfriend's interest. "She is quite beautiful isn't she?"

"I guess," the blunette mumbled.

"There's a rumor going around that you two used to be friends."

"Yeah, what of it?"

"And that you used to have a crush on her," Szayel smirked as he turned to face the taller teen. Grimmjow sputtered as his face flushed, trying to come up with something to say, but failing miserably. "I thought you were born to be with men. To think, your first crush was on a girl."

"She acted like a boy back then!" the blunette yelled, a bit angry at the teasing. "I always called her one and no one ever corrected me. Not even her family."

Szayel ignored him and wrapped his arms around his neck affectionately. "All that matters is that you're mine now."

Grimmjow pressed his lips softly against his boyfriend's pale lips in a quick kiss. "Now either help me clean or get out."

"Or what?" Szayel was rewarded with another kiss and a firm squeeze of his backside.

* * *

"Whoa!" Renji cried out as she rushed over to a panting Ichigo. "You have the second fastest time in the school's history!"

"Really?" she panted. The red head nodded enthusiastically. "Who's the fastest?"

"That would be me," the purple haired teacher bragged. "Set it back when I used to go to school here."

Renji leaned in to whisper into Ichigo's ear. "Sensei is wicked fast. They used to call her the Flash Goddess."

"The track team meets for practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays," Yoruichi said, breaking up their private chat. "I expect to see you ready to prove yourself to the team tomorrow."

Ichigo nodded and thanked her and Renji before rushing back to the locker room to change back into her uniform. After changing, she grabbed her bag, not noticing that it was open. The contents immediately spilled all over the floor. Cursing softly, she quickly set to picking up the items and placing them back in her bag. She stopped as her hand fell onto a familiar picture of herself and Grimmjow from a few months before her mother died. Amber eyes stared blankly at the image as her mind drifted back to the last time she saw the blunette.

* * *

_The slowly setting sun cast a lovely orange glow over the park where a few kids still ran around, playing happily. "Sorry about your mom," Grimmjow said as he sat on the swing next to her. Ichigo didn't speak and just continued to look at the dirt beneath her small feet. The woman had fallen ill a few months prior and ended up passing away the week before. "She was the closest thing to a mother I ever had."_

_"I'm moving," she mumbled._

_Blue eyes turned to look at her a bit surprised. "Where to?" Ichigo just shook her head. "Will you come back?"_

_It was then Grimmjow realized that she was crying softly. She obviously didn't want to leave Karakura, but she couldn't exactly stay away from her family forever. Standing, he pulled the young girl into a tight hug causing her tears to become much more audible. "I don't want to go! First I lost Mom and now I'm losing you! I'll be all alone!"_

_"No you won't!" The crying stopped as large amber eyes looked up into ocean blue orbs. "I'll always be there for you Ichigo! I may not be able to go with you, but I'll be right here the whole time." The blunette placed his hand on her chest over her heart. "I'll always cheer you up when you're sad; be your punching bag when you're angry; comfort you when you're scared... I'll protect you Ichigo! I won't let anything or anyone hurt you ever again!"_

_Ichigo pulled herself away from the boy as she wiped her tears away. "You mean it?"_

_"I promise," Grimmjow said as he entangled his pinky with hers. Before she could pull away, the boy cupped her cheek and placed a soft kiss on her lips._

* * *

That had been her first and only kiss. As much as she wanted to believe it was purely because of the fact that she had attended an all-girls school for most of her life, deep down she knew it was because she was saving herself for the little boy she had grown close to. Stuffing the picture back into her bag, she exited the locker room and headed for the school gates in order to go home.

Time changes people, she knew that better than anyone else. Although she still held onto the childish dream of being with Grimmjow, it was the Grimmjow of the past she wanted. Not this huge perverted jerk. His sexual preference didn t help matters either. That was probably her fault. Maybe if she'd acted like a girl back then, he would have waited for her. Or at least be straight. Sighing, she passed by the gates she would eventually grow to hate.

* * *

**A/N**: I really wanted to do something different with this fic. I mean, I do love gender benders, but there's a lot of recurring themes with most GrimmIchi fics. Usually one of them is coping with falling for a guy. I understand that, I do, but after a while, it gets redundant. So I randomly thought up this baby. I guess it's the same, but since he'll be coping with falling for a girl, it doesn't count. XD

For those who don't know, 'boku' is the way young males refer to themselves. Sometimes girls do, but from what I've seen they're either tsundere's, children, or tom-boys. It helps sell the whole gender confusion if you ask me.

Also, feel free to check out the art I drew for the cover! mazokucreations. deviantart gallery /# /d59fh7w  
Don't forget to remove spaces!


	2. Things Change

~As always, I only own the plot. I don't own the series or characters so don't sue me.

**Chapter Two - Things Change**

* * *

Giving a quick yank to her ponytail to ensure it was firmly held in place by the hair tie, Ichigo crouched down at the starting line, waiting for the single. Yoruichi blew the whistle once and the runners thrust their backsides into the air, their finger tips grazing the cool cement. The woman blew the whistle again, much longer this time and the runners took off at top speed down the track. The 100 meter dash was over seconds later with Ichigo coming out on top by a land slide. Her fellow teammates surrounded her firing off questions.

The amount of voices overwhelmed her, but before she had a chance to respond, Renji and Yoruichi came over to her aid. "Alright," Renji said as she forced her way into the small crowd. "I get it, she's amazing, but yer all gonna suffocate her."

"You don't want to scare off the girl that's going to help us win the regional s do you?" the coach questioned. The crowd seemed to back off and go about their own business in response. Yoruichi turned her playful golden eyes to Ichigo. "Hit the showers," she said with a tilt of her head. "You're done for the day."

Ichigo nodded before jogging off to the locker room where she promptly stripped and showered. Just as she finished up, she noticed that practice must have ended as the locker room began to fill up with other females, all heading straight to the showers. The orangette stopped at the locker given to her and began to dress at a nice leisure pace. After all, it wasn't like she needed to be anywhere anytime soon. Just as she grabbed her bag from the locker, a towel covered Renji slapped her on the back hard, causing her to drop her bag, the contents spilling in the process.

"For someone so fast, you sure are a klutz," the red head teased.

"Well maybe if someone wasn't an ass I wouldn't have dropped it!" she snapped.

Renji merely laughed before sauntering away, leaving Ichigo alone to gather her belongings. It was then she realized she left her chemistry book in the lab. As much as she hated the idea, she was suddenly thankful her new friend had caused the spill. Especially considering she had a lab report due the following afternoon. Closing the black bag, Ichigo hurried back toward the main building, easily navigating to the hall containing the science labs. Upon entering the lab she found it empty and headed straight to the station she shared with her lab partner.

The book wasn't sitting atop the table, so she searched the drawers. The drawers were filled with beakers and measuring devices, but no books. Growing a bit frantic she checked under the table before moving to check nearby stations when her book was suddenly thrust into her vision.

"Kurosaki Ichigo I presume?" a soft voice questioned.

Bright amber eyes turned upward to find the owner of the voice to be a pink haired, golden eyed student wearing the oddest white glasses she'd ever seen. "Ah, mmm," she responded awkwardly as she stood to her full height and reached out to grab the book. Before she could touch the much needed item, it was pulled back out of her grasp. An orange eyebrow arched in response as she watched the newcomer push his glasses up his nose, reminding her momentarily of Ishida.

"Nothing in the world is free," he tsked as if she should already understand the basic concept.

Ichigo sighed heavily. "What do you want?"

A smirk crept onto his face. "You and Grimmjow are childhood friends are you not?"

"Yeah," the girl answered as she crossed her arms in a bored fashion.

"How long have you two known each other?"

"Since I was seven." She was slowly growing agitated by the somewhat personal questions. Ichigo just wanted her damn book back.

"That's quite a long time. About ten years now then?" All he received was a nod from the girl. He knew that her patience was growing thin. Szayel would be lucky to get a few more questions out of her before she'd storm off with or without the book. "How did you two meet?"

"Like the jerk he is, he pulled my hair." Why was this guy being so inquisitive about her past with Grimmjow? Was this guy some sort of stalker of the blunet's?

The pink haired student chuckled lightly at this. "Yes, that does sound like something he'd do." Silence filled the air for a moment as Ichigo continued to pin him down with a hard look. "You two sound like stereotypical childhood friends. I bet you even live next door to each other."

"No," she said and watched a bit surprised as what looked like relief flashed over the student's face. "Same street, but a few houses apart."

"Still close enough you could chat without having to leave your front porch." The smile he gave seemed forced and incredibly creepy as a result.

"I guess..." Ichigo mumbled. The room was silent as Szayel continued to smile creepily at her. Quickly checking her watch, the orangette gasped at the time before snatching the book from the pink haired man and rushing out of the room. "Uh, thanks for holding onto my book," she called back over her shoulder before disappearing into the hall.

"Oh don't mention it," Szayel said more to himself than the girl. Gazing at the floor, the setting sun cast an eerie reflection off his glasses, shielding his eyes from sight. "Pray for your sake you don't come between Grimmjow and I," he muttered to himself, Ichigo well out of ear shot at this point. "I'd hate to see what happens to you if you did."

* * *

Upon exiting the grocery store, Ichigo checked the bag to ensure she grabbed everything her sister Yuzu had requested for dinner. She silently prayed the girl wouldn't be upset. After all, she would be arriving home later than she had informed the young middle school girl. Tightening her grasp on the bag, she began to sprint down the sidewalk, determined to at least get home in a reasonable amount of time. Unfortunately, luck was not on her side. Just as she neared another shop, its doors slid open as a fairly tall and well built man exited the shop. Unable to stop herself in time, Ichigo crashed roughly into the man. Just before she could hit the ground, she felt a strong grip on her wrist, saving her and the bag of groceries from the fall.

"Ichigo-chan?!" a deep baritone blurted out, sounding incredibly surprised.

"Abelardo-san!" the orangette cried happily as she righted herself before quickly embracing the tall blue haired man.

"It's been some time hasn't it?" he questioned as he returned the hug.

"It has," Ichigo replied, finally releasing the man. "How have you been?"

"Oh you know the same old geezer I've always been."

Abelardo Jaegerjaques, father to one Grimmjow Jaegerjaques. The two were eerily similar. The current Grimmjow looked almost identical to the man Ichigo had met when they were children, only his eyes were green whereas his son's were a bright blue. The past ten years hadn't done well to the man. He was finally starting to look his age. His once vibrant blue hair was now a much duller shade and sat limply atop his head. He seemed to have opted for a scruffy appearance. His jeans were baggy and his black shirt hung limply against his upper torso. Abelardo was much thinner than the big muscular military officer she remembered from her youth. Something must have happened while she was away in Tokyo to cause such a drastic change in the once proud man.

"Did you ever get that promotion you were working toward before I left?" Ichigo asked as they fell in step next to one another, heading toward her childhood home.

The blunet's expression sunk momentarily before transforming into a sad smile as he casted his gaze to the sky. "I was dishonorably discharged about six months after your family left."

"I'm so sorry." She was right. The military was Abelardo's life next to his son, his wife dying shortly after the child's birth. "To have something you loved so dearly taken away from you must have been painful..."

"It was, but there was nothing I could do." His green eyes shifted to gaze happily at the orangette. "Speaking of which, Grimmjow was so heartbroken after you left."

"What?" she sputtered, her face flushing lightly.

"My boy missed you dearly. I know he was waiting for you to return."

The pair came to a stop in front of a very familiar house. Apparently the Jaegerjaques still lived in the same house. Well, the house had changed obviously. The lawn seemed to be unkempt and the house was in various states of wear. It was almost as if they had stopped caring about keeping it together. It seemed like a lot had changed for the small family while she was away in Tokyo all those years.

Catching her gaze on the house, Abelardo continued. "He refused to move you know. Grimmjow would tell me all the time that he wanted you to be able to find him easily whenever you came back." The blunet clasped the girl's hands and held them at chest level as he leaned in close, his voice soft and endearing. "My boy loves you more than life itself even if he doesn't yet realize the extent of his feelings."

Heat seemed to explode off Ichigo's face as it turned redder than her namesake. Swallowing hard, she opened her mouth to refute those thoughts, but was suddenly cut off.

"Leave her alone Old Man."

Ichigo turned her brightly blushing face to the side only to find more blue filling her vision. Abelardo laughed as he released her hands and smiled brightly at his son. "Ah my son!" he called happily. "When are you going to fulfill your promise and marry Ichigo?"

Grimmjow's face flushed at that comment, whether from embarrassment or anger it was hard to tell. "Never!" he snapped. The orangette felt a slight pang of sadness at hearing this, but brushed it off.

"But you swore every day you were going to marry her when you two were older."

The blunet began to shove his father toward the front door of their run-down house. "I was just a stupid kid then."

"You're still just a stupid kid," his father teased.

"Don't make me hurt you," Grimmjow growled lowly. Succeeding in getting the older man into the house, he turned back to face the girl. "Hurry up and get home before it gets dark Kurosaki."

With that the door shut and the slight pang turned into a more painful sensation. Grimmjow had called her Kurosaki. Not Ichigo, not Ichi, not even berry head, but Kurosaki. So just because he was gay it meant they could no longer be friends. Or perhaps it was because she had unintentionally deceived him all these years? Whatever the reason, he obviously had no desire to be close to her anymore.

Broken hearted, Ichigo continued to her mindless trek down the sidewalk a bit until she reached her front gate. Entering the house, she numbly kicked off her shoes and laid the grocery bag on their dining table before heading up the stairs to her room, ignoring Yuzu's worried calls to her. Once in her room, she moved over to her desk and opened a drawer. Moving all the papers on top aside, she reached in and grabbed a small book before moving to sit on her bed.

Opening the book to a random spot, it showed a picture of her and Grimmjow playing at the park down the street when they were younger. She remembered the day it was taken. They'd only known each other for a couple months, but during those months, the two had grown incredibly close. Grimmjow had succeeded in getting the girl to come out of her shell.

_"Hey Jaegerjaques," the girl said as she hung upside down from the monkey bars, her legs wrapped tightly around a single bar. "How come you always call me Ichigo instead of Kurosaki like everyone else?"_

_"Because it's easier," the blunet responded without bothering to look up from his place in the sand box._

_"Kurosaki isn't that hard to say," she shot back._

_Blue eyes shifted to stare intensely into her own amber orbs. "Fine, it's because I like you."_

_"What does liking me have to do with calling me by my first name?" The young girl crossed her arms, almost as if she were pouting._

_"When you like someone, you call them by their first name. It's why I'm the only one that calls you that." Grimmjow stood and moved over to the girl still hanging upside down._

_Ichigo huffed at that comment. "Are you saying no one likes me?"_

_"Course not stupid," the blunet laughed. "I'm just the only one who likes you enough to call you by your first name."_

_Amber eyes shifted to the side as her cheeks turned a light shade of pink. "So would it be alright for me to call you Grimmjow?"_

_Now Grimmjow's cheeks had turned a light pink as his cyan orbs widened momentarily before softening. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, I'd like that a lot."_

A small tear trickled down her cheek as she stared at the photo, her heart still shattered. The Grimmjow she knew had apparently died the day she left for Tokyo with her family...

* * *

**A/N**: Sorry this chapter seems fairly short. It's really not, just the first chapter was super long. XD Anyways, I managed to get this done early so I figured I'd treat you guys to an early update. Sorry if I pulled on your heart strings a little too strongly, but its a set up for the next chapter. Things will take on a light hearted tone after the next chapter for a bit. I promise.

**Thanks for all the reviews/faves/follows! They mean a lot to me! : )**


	3. In the Rain

~As always, I only own the plot. I don't own the series or characters so don't sue me.

**Chapter Three - In the Rain**

* * *

Bolting upright, Ichigo panted heavily as a hand clasped the front of her night shirt. Sweat covered her body and sheets from some horrible nightmare. Running a hand through her damp locks, she can only recall her tears of pain and sadness as the color pink filled her vision. Finally getting her breathing under control, she shoved the dream aside as she detangled herself from her bed and headed for the shower. Her shower is far from relaxing as her thoughts are filled with Grimmjow and the way he had been ignoring her lately. It had been about a week since she heard him address her as Kurosaki. During that time the blunet had just ignored her. He never spoke to her and he never so much as glanced at her during that time.

Pounding her fist against the tiled wall of the shower, Ichigo turned the water off and forcibly shoved the feelings of rejection down. He just needed time to adjust to the fact she was a girl, that's all. The orangette toweled off and dressed quickly before heading down to the table to enjoy some of her sister's exquisite cooking.

* * *

The weather was dreary and dark matching the dull and boring school day Ichigo suffered through. The bell signaling the end of the day tolled and the teenager couldn't be more relieved to hear such an annoying melody. Gathering her things, Ichigo moved lethargically to her shoe locker where she switched to her simple loafers. Gazing out the front doors of the school, she hoped to make it home before it rained. As she grabbed her school bag, a spiky head of vibrant blue came into sight out of the corner of her eye. Turning, she watched as her classmate changed his shoes.

"Hey," she called out to him. Grimmjow didn't seem to hear her and merely grabbed his bag and exited through the main doors. Tightening her hand on her bag, she rushed after the teen, hoping to salvage their friendship after all these years. "Mind if I come over and study with you for our chemistry test?" she questioned as she fell in step a bit behind him. "You know I was never any good with anything science related." Ichigo laughed nervously, waiting with bated breath for some sort of reaction. When none came, she continued. "Or you could come over to my house. I think Yuzu is making sukiyaki tonight." She wasn't about to throw a childhood friendship away because of gender confusion. Especially not one that meant so much to her...

"We don't have to study if you don't want to," Ichigo quickly blurted out. "We could just play video games like we-"

"Look," the blunet finally bit out as he turned to face her, his face scrunched in annoyance. "I thought by ignoring you that a girl as smart as you would get the picture, but I guess not. I don't want to be with someone like you, let alone be friends with you. Now leave me the hell alone!"

Before he had the chance to turn and walk away, a strong punch landed on his left cheek causing him to stumble backward a bit and drop his bag. Wiping the corner of his mouth with his clenched hand, his bright blue eyes darkened in anger as he gazed at the girl responsible for punching him.

"Fine Jaegerjaques!" she shouted, venom lacing her voice as she put extra emphasis on his name. "If my gender is such an issue, then you should have no problem in walking away from a fight with me!"

Charging toward the blunet, she reeled back her fist and landed a solid hit to his gut before shifting her footing to kick the side of his head. Grimmjow ducked, missing the kick to his head and took a step back. However, Ichigo wouldn't allow it. Pulling her fist back, she aimed for his face. Grimmjow grabbed her fist this time and instinctively returned with a punch of his own, crushing her solar plexus and forcing her to her knees. Clutching her stomach, the teen coughed and gasped repeatedly, trying to catch her breath. Grimmjow merely stared down at her, glare in place. Finally, as the darkened clouds released their rain mercilessly to the world below, Ichigo looked up, a smirk on her face.

Grimmjow hadn't resisted the urge to hit her, meaning a part of him still viewed her as the same Ichigo from their childhood.

"You should listen to your gut more," she chuckled.

The blunet growled low in his throat. "Fuck you," he muttered before grabbing his school bag once more and storming off to his home.

* * *

"You're soaked," Szayel stated monotonously, his hand tightly wrapped around the handle of an umbrella. "You're awfully later than usual as well." Golden eyes peeked out from under the umbrella to better examine the look on his boyfriend's face. "What happened?"

"It's nothing," the teen bit out. However, the look from the pink haired boy forced him to continue. "Nnoitra and I just got into a fight, that's all," he sighed.

Szayel's scrutinizing look disappeared and was replaced quickly with a smile. "Let's get you inside and get you warmed up. I brought some dinner." Sharing the umbrella with the blunet, the two turned and headed toward the front door of Grimmjow's run down home. "We'll eat and then get to work on preparing you for that Chemistry test you have tomorrow."

Grimmjow allowed himself to be led into his house by his boyfriend. After a quick change of clothes the two ate and attempted to study. They had a hard time keeping their hands to themselves. One thing led to another and one sweat and pleasure filled hour later the two were finally saying goodbye at the front door. Szayel always insisted he stay over, but Grimmjow hadn't let anyone meet his father. The only ones who had met him were Nnoitra and Ichigo, he trusted Nnoitra, but Ichigo knew the father he used to be. Not the drunken bastard he was now.

Succeeding in getting the pink haired teen to leave, Grimmjow gave a heavy sigh before turning to enter his house once more. That is until he heard a girl yelling...

"Onee-chan!"

Spinning on his feet, he spotted a brunette girl a few doors down. If he recalled correctly, it was the house Ichigo used to live in. That brunette also looked awfully familiar. He just couldn't quite place her.

"Onee-chan!"

Shrugging his shoulders, the blunet turned back to head into his warm house. It wasn't pouring rain anymore, but it was still damp forcing the previously nice temperature to drop quite a bit. Before he could reach his porch, let alone front door, the voice was suddenly hollering at him.

"Grimmjow?" the young brunette girl questioned with a squint of her eyes as she moved closer, trying to get a better visual of the blunet. "Grimmjow it is you!"

"Uh yeah," he said, as he turned back to face the now approaching girl. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped as he finally managed to get a good look at her. An image of a much smaller and younger brunette with pigtails surfaced briefly. "Yuzu!" he suddenly blurted out, remembering the orangette's younger sibling.

Yuzu's face lit up happily. "You do remember me! It's been so long and we were so young I didn't think you'd recognize me now."

"How could I forget such big doe eyes like yours?" Grimmjow questioned as he rubbed her head, successfully messing up her hair.

The young teen quickly fixed her hair before her happiness faded to worry. "Grimmjow, have you seen onee-chan?"

The blunet replied with a shake of his head. "Not since school today."

"She still hasn't come home yet. I'm worried something might have happened to her."

"Don't worry, Kurosaki can take care of herself. Trust me," he said while rubbing his cheek at the memory of her punch from earlier.

Yuzu frowned heavily at the use of their family name. Grimmjow never called her older sister by anything but her first name. And sometimes Berry head just to get a rise out of her. She wondered briefly if something had happened to the two to cause them to act so distant, but shoved it aside. Now was not the time to be worrying about such things.

"Please, you have to help me look for her," the girl pled. "Dad will be home soon and I don't want him to worry about something bad happening to her."

With a relenting sigh, Grimmjow agrees to help the girl find her sister. After all, he was never any good at turning down the young girl for a favor even when she was toddler. Moving back into his house, he quickly snags an umbrella for the two to use before leading Yuzu to the nearby shopping district. The brunette dragged the poor teen into every store her sister frequented, including a lingerie store, much to his extreme embarrassment. Unfortunately their search seemed to be fruitless. Just when Grimmjow is about to call it quits and head home, a memory from his childhood surfaced.

* * *

_The young blunet had been running all over the town for the majority of the afternoon trying to find Ichigo. They'd gotten into a fight and the boy had taken off after angrily punching Grimmjow in the face. He checked the arcade they liked to hang out in after school, he checked the convenience store, hell he even checked maid cafe he dared the orangette to go into one afternoon. There was just no sign of his crush anywhere._

_What caused the boy to run off in such a frenzy? Grimmjow had told him that Sailor Moon was for girls and wimps who didn't have the guts to stand their ground. Ichigo apparently didn't like that answer as he was quickly punched in the face shortly after blurting it out._

_Grimmjow was forced to stop and lean against a stone fence on the sidewalk as he panted heavily, attempting to regain his breath. Ichigo was nowhere to be found. He knew the boy was good at hide and seek, but usually there was a limited area to search in. The blunet was forced to scour the town in hopes of finding the boy before the sun set completely. After that, they'd both be in a good deal of trouble._

_Back sliding against the rough stone, Grimmjow sat down. He wiped the sweat from his chin as he watched the sun slowly setting on the horizon. It was hopeless. There was no way he could find the orangette in time at this rate._

_"No," the blunet mumbled as he pulled himself to his feet. "Ichigo would never give up if I ran off, so I won't either!"_

_Hurrying off, there was only one place left the blunet hadn't yet looked. The park down the street from their homes. Ichigo was afraid to go there after the group of boys tried to jump him. It was a long shot, but it was all he had left. Turning the corner, he arrived in the park and halted instantly. Sitting on the swings a short distance away was the object of his affection._

_The scruffy head of orange turned, big amber eyes staring directly into blue. "Took ya long enough," he said, a bright smile crossing his face._

* * *

"Grimmjow?" Yuzu questioned as he brown eyes gazed up at the faraway look on the blunet's face. "Grimmjow, are you alright?"

Cyan orbs blinked a few times as the memory slipped away from his mind. "Hmm?" Turning his head, he looked down to see a worried Yuzu. "I'm fine. I just figured out where your sister is, that's all." He couldn't resist the smile that spread in return to the pure happiness pouring off of the brunette.

With Grimmjow leading the way, he quickly led the young girl to the park down the street from their homes. Although they were much too old to be playing at parks, he could just tell that's where the girl would be hiding. From what he could tell, the orangette had only changed in appearance. Her personality was still the same, meaning she would most likely possess habits from her childhood. She often hid in that park when she was upset. It's where he found her after her mother had died.

The park came into view and there sitting on a lonely swing was the beautiful long haired teen. Yuzu rushes past Grimmjow to scold her sister.

"What do you think you're doing out here?" Yuzu snapped, slightly startling the distant minded Ichigo. "Dad will be home soon and you have homework to do. You don't have time to be playing around in a park like some child."

The orangette blinked wide amber eyes as she stood to her full height, hands held up defensively. "Yuzu!" she cried out. "I didn't mean to worry you. I just need some time-"

"Look at you, you're soaked!" the brunette shouted, cutting her older sister off mid-sentence. "We're going home right now so that you can bathe, change your clothes, and do your homework."

"Wait Yuzu, I-"

"If we manage to make it home before Dad, I'll even bring you something to eat." The young girl ignored her sister's protests and merely grabbed her wrist to drag her along. "You have a cell phone for a reason you know."

Ichigo laughs nervously, about to respond, but movement off to the side catches her attention. Shifting her gaze, she spots a retreating head of blue. So Grimmjow was the one to help her sister find her. The girl would have never thought to look there. A soft smile appears on her face. Perhaps, some things hadn't changed.

* * *

(**A/N**: So this is my last update until I can get my laptop fixed. The wireless internet card has crapped out. It's being sent out tomorrow for repairs, so I'm hoping to have it back by this Friday so I can continue working on Little Berry. As soon as I get my laptop back, I will push out an update for Little Berry as I have cranked out a lot more of the outline. I would like to push out an update for my other fics as well, but we'll see.)

_Please note: There will be no fic updates between the time of **March 24th - April 8th** and **May 26th - June**_ _**3rd**_. _I will be staffing conventions during this time. The first convention I am a department head hence the two week's compared to the second break of one week. I will post this in all fics updated until then._

**Thank you to all the reviews/favorites/follows. They mean a lot to me! : )**


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